DALE’S Anne Fadullon appointed President of Building Industry Association

Anne Fadullon was appointed president of the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia, marking the first time in its 77-year history a woman was named to the top post. Fadullon serves as director of development for DALE Corp. where she has been since 2000. Among her other duties are sitting on a special commission to review Philadelphia’s Department of Licenses and Inspections, the Philly Land Bank Alliance, the Civic Design Review Committee and Developer’s Workshop.

Read Anne’s Speech:

Land Bank Signing Comments
Good afternoon. My name is Anne Fadullon and I am honored to be with you here today at the invitation of Mayor Michael Nutter and City Council.

I stand here as the President of the Building Industry Association, Director of Development of the Dale Corporation and a representative of the broad-based, hardworking and incredibly persistent Philly Land Bank Alliance. However, I am most honored to stand here today as a proud Philadelphian.

Nearly 10 years ago, the BIA released a report referred to as the Fix It Philly report. The report itemized the 10 most important things the City of Philadelphia could do to attract responsible development. We broke the items listed into three categories: low-hanging fruit or easily achievable items, middle status possibly achievable items, and the last category – don’t hold your breath – or the not-happening-in-our lifetime items. The two items listed in this last category were a new zoning code and the establishment of a land bank.

A little over a year ago, we gathered in this very room to witness the signing of the new zoning code. Now here we are today to witness the establishment of the largest land bank in the country. Two pieces of landmark legislation within 18 months of each other. Evidence of what an incredible time this is to be in the great City of Philadelphia. Although the concept of a land bank was introduced and advocated for in the BIA report, it could not have been accomplished without the undying efforts of the Campaign to Take Back Vacant Land and the subsequent formation of the Philly Land Bank Alliance. Both of these entities brought together diverse groups of active citizens and organizations to make sure the vital need for a land bank remained an integral part of the public discourse.

With the establishment of this land bank, Philadelphia is taking a huge step forward in turning blighted, vacant properties from being a burden on the city to becoming an economic opportunity – not only for developers, but for neighborhoods and residents as well. The unprecedented coming together of private developers, community developers, urban agriculture advocates, small businesses, design professionals and the citizens of Philadelphia was an integral force in getting a land bank established. The leadership of Council President Darrell Clarke and Councilwoman Maria Sanchez, as well as the hard work of the Nutter administration and staff, were all necessary to accomplish this monumental task. It wasn’t always easy or harmonious and some of the parties involved took some pretty hard hits. But everyone hung in there and by working together, towards a common goal, we all proved how resilient and visionary we Philadelphians can be.

Although the signing of this bill and the establishment of a land bank is truly a landmark occasion, none of us can sit back and believe the work is done. The members of the BIA join the Philly Land Bank Alliance in urging City Council and the Nutter administration to continue to move the ball forward by fully funding the land bank, pro-actively transferring all publicly held properties into the land bank and establishing a permanent land bank board as quickly as possible. The sooner we get the land bank up and running and fully active, the sooner we can work toward our common goal of turning vacant property into an economic asset and continuing the development of Philadelphia into a truly world class city.